as in winter
a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness
a knee operation that could result in months of downtime for the ski racer
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Recent Examples of downtime
The player has been enjoying his downtime, including a vacation to an undisclosed, tropical-looking destination last month with his whole crew.
—
Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
But now Ortega has found herself in a rare space with months of consecutive downtime.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026
During the downtime, crew members came up with the famous shot, filmed after Travolta returned, of his feet walking rhythmically as the camera then rises to his face.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Other guitar virtuosos might crave at least a little downtime between concluding a Las Vegas concert residency with one band and launching a national tour with another band, not but Joe Satriani.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downtime
Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
But now Ortega has found herself in a rare space with months of consecutive downtime.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026
During the downtime, crew members came up with the famous shot, filmed after Travolta returned, of his feet walking rhythmically as the camera then rises to his face.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Other guitar virtuosos might crave at least a little downtime between concluding a Las Vegas concert residency with one band and launching a national tour with another band, not but Joe Satriani.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downtime
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downtime
Noun
-
After that is the monsoon season from May to October, which is humid and rainy, followed by the winter season from November to February, when temperatures are still hot, but a little lower.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
-
With the winter behind us in the far rearview mirror, spring is consuming our senses and filling our hearts with blossoms and blooms.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Steele is now unlikely to rejoin the Cubs’ rotation until after the July All-Star break, Counsell estimated.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Wagner led the team at the halfway mark with 17 points, scoring 10 points in the paint before the break.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downtime.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downtime. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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